


You Teach Me, And I'll Teach You

by hobbit_hedgehog



Series: Haikyuu in Hoenn [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Houen-chichou | Hoenn, Light Angst, M/M, Pokemon AU, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-07-26 18:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7584910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbit_hedgehog/pseuds/hobbit_hedgehog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawamura Daichi is a backpacker who is dissatisfied with small town living.  Sugawara Koushi is a friend of a friend who offers his home to Daichi for a few weeks while Daichi is in Slateport.  Daichi wasn't expecting Sugawara to be what he was looking for.</p><p>Part of a multi-fic Haikyuu!! Pokemon AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy folks! Did you miss me? I missed you guys. This is my contribution to the Haikyuu!! in Hoenn series that leonwingstein, DisappearingOctopus, tumblr user midnight-kitsune, and I are collaborating on. Check out the other works in the series, they're pretty good! I'll be updating The Crows within the next week or so, so be on the lookout for that.
> 
> Enjoy!

If someone were to ask anyone in Lavaridge Town to describe Sawamura Daichi, they might provide adjectives such as "reliable", "determined", "supportive", all positive personality traits of a well-rounded, highly respected young man in a small community. Asking Daichi to describe himself would paint a different picture, with words like "restless", "dissatisfied" and "bored" springing to his mind with little prompting. It was the sad truth of things, Daichi was bored. Small town life bored him. It was that exact restlessness that drove Daichi to become a backpacker in the first place. Daichi had never really wanted to become Pokémon Champion or spend his teenage years doing research for the local Pokémon professors, so when Daichi reached a sensible age, his mother requested that Professor Ukai send Daichi a starter Pokémon of his own. So, at age 15 and armed with a Torchic, Daichi began his life as a backpacker. Years later, Daichi had managed to build up his own Pokémon team, though Daichi would readily admit that most of his Pokémon had been adopted from his friend Asahi who ran a Pokémon Daycare on Route 117 with his grandmother. There were times when people would abandon their newly hatched Pokemon at the Daycare. Anytime that happened, Asahi would get in touch with Daichi and ask if he wanted to adopt a new teammate. This was how Daichi ended up with a full Pokémon team without forcing his Torchic to battle. Teamed up with his Torchic along with a Geodude, a Sandshrew, a Machop, a Rhyhorn and a Riolu, Daichi had backpacked around most of Hoenn. He got to experience more than he ever thought imaginable. But all good things had to come to an end eventually.

No matter how much Daichi traveled, he always found himself back in Lavaridge, bored out of his mind. Lavaridge was were his house and his parents were, but after all these years, it wasn't home. Not anymore. It was a place to return to after months in the wild, but staying in Lavaridge for more than a week at most left Daichi fidgety and irritated, wanting to go out and see more. Sure, there was a gym in Lavaridge, but that was only for people who actually were trying for the title of Pokémon Champion. Anyone who only knew Daichi vaguely wouldn't notice his frustrations, but Daichi's parents knew full well that Daichi was never happy to be in Lavaridge. Daichi's parents would do their best to keep him busy until he left again, and Daichi appreciated their support, but nothing could really stave off his restlessness. Daichi knew there had to be a reason for his dissatisfaction. There was something missing from Daichi's life, but he had no idea what it was. So Daichi attempted to fill that hole with travel. It helped for the most part, but there was still something missing, he knew it.

Daichi's next trip would be to Slateport City. Daichi had been to Slateport before, but as he tended to avoid staying in cities, he had briefly passed through on his way to a camping spot outside of the city limits. This time, Daichi decided he would actually stay in the city to see what it was like before moving on. Part of Daichi entertained the notion of catching a ship and leaving Hoenn, but he knew that it wouldn't be possible unless he actually got to know the city. Daichi had a slight problem, however. Daichi didn't know anyone in Slateport City. Which wouldn't be a problem if he actually had money. Backpacking wasn't exactly a high paying job. Daichi made money off of deliveries and the like, but it was just barely enough to afford food on his treks. He didn't have enough to pay for a hostel. Daichi supposed he could try spending his nights at the Pokémon Center in Slateport, but Daichi also knew that he was planning on spending at least two weeks in the city and didn't want to intrude on the Pokémon Center's hospitality towards Trainers and the like. Which was how Daichi found himself on his PokéNav with Asahi.

"I mean, I do know someone in Slateport," Asahi said, cradling a sleeping Pichu in his arms, "but it's also kind of short notice. You'll be there in, what? Three days at most?"

"I know it's short notice Asahi," Daichi sighed as he rubbed his temples. "But the sooner I can get confirmation that I have a place to stay, the sooner I can leave."

"Don't let your mother hear you say that," Asahi joked. Daichi glared halfheartedly at the other man, who paled slightly under Daichi's look. "Not to say that your mother is unreasonable or anything, it was just a joke-."

"I know it was Asahi, relax," Daichi reassured his friend as he ran a hand through his cropped hair. "I'm just getting a little antsy, you know? I've been in Lavaridge for a few weeks now and I'm about to lose it. I need to get out."

Asahi gave Daichi a sympathetic look before responding, "Give me a few minutes to get in contact with my friend in Slateport. He works as a sailor, but I imagine he's probably home by now."

"Thanks Asahi," Daichi said. "I really do appreciate it."

"No problem Daichi," Asahi replied with a wave of his hand. "Talk to you in a bit."

The screen of Daichi's PokéNav went dark as Asahi disconnected the call. With a sigh, Daichi tossed the device onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. A glance around his sparsely filled room allowed Daichi to take stock of what he had. Leaning against the wall next to his door was Daichi's giant hiking pack, already packed and ready to go. Daichi's dresser stood empty, as all of his clothes were packed into the backpack. Daichi's bed was neatly made and his nightstand was bare except for a lone picture of Daichi as a five year old, bandaid on his cheek and his father's Geodude in his arms. Daichi had picked up on his father's love of rock type Pokémon. Sitting on Daichi's desk was his fanny pack, Pokéballs tucked inside alone with a few berries. Daichi reached inside the pack, searching for his Torchic's Pokéball. Once Daichi found it, he pulled it from the pack and pressed the button, releasing his trusted companion. The Torchic let out a happy squawk and hopped onto Daichi's lap, cooing slightly. Daichi smiled and patted its head for a few minutes until his PokéNav lit up. Daichi shifted his Torchic slightly and reached for the device. Asahi smiled at Daichi from the other side and Daichi felt his spirits lift considerably.

"So, what's the verdict?" Daichi asked.

"My friend in Slateport said you can stay with him," Asahi said.

"Fantastic!" Daichi commented. "So, what's your friend like? What's his name?"

"His name is Sugawara Koushi, but most everyone calls him Suga," Asahi told Daichi. "Like I said, he works as a sailor, so he's pretty busy during the day. But he said he's more than happy to have you stay at his place for as long as you need. He also said that he hopes you like spicy food, because that's pretty much all he makes."

"I can live with that," Daichi responded, ruffling his Torchic's feathers lightly. "I'll set off tomorrow then. If I walk, I can make it to Slateport City in two days, maybe four at most if I stop to explore side trails."

"I'll let Suga know," Asahi said. "Want me to send you his info so you two can get in touch?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be best," Daichi replied.

"I'll send it to you now," Asahi said. "Just a warning though, Suga doesn't really keep up with technology. He still has an older model PokéNav, so you can't video chat with him."  
Daichi shrugged, "That's fine. As long as we can get in touch, we'll be okay. Thanks again Asahi."

"No problem Daichi, have fun in Slateport! Call me when you get there so I know you made it safely," Asahi said.

"Will do you worry wart," Daichi replied as he disconnected the call. The Torchic on his lap chirped excitedly and Daichi gave her another pat on the head. Daichi's PokéNav pinged with a new message from Asahi. Daichi briefly read over the information and added Sugawara's information to his contacts list. He opened a new message and sent a quick message to Sugawara.

Text Conversation: Sugawara Koushi

[To Sugawara Koushi]: Hello Sugawara Koushi, my name is Daichi Sawamura, Asahi's friend. I'll be leaving Lavaridge tomorrow and should arrive at Slateport within the next few days. Thank you for letting me stay with you, sorry about the short notice.

Daichi waited a few minutes before his PokéNav pinged with a new message.

[From Sugawara Koushi]: Oooo, how formal. Hello Sawamura Daichi, call me Suga. If you're going to live with me, you can call me Suga. Any friend of Asahi is a friend of mine. When you get to Slateport, give me a call and I'll meet you at the Market! Can't wait to meet you! (^_^)/

Daichi felt his lips tug into a smile; Suga used emojis. Cute. Daichi typed out a response and hit send.

[To Sugawara Koushi]: Alright Suga, call me Daichi then. I'll be heading out tomorrow morning. Can't wait to meet you too.

Daichi added the last part as an afterthought before sending the message. He didn't want to seem rude. With a sigh of content, Daichi reached for the Pokéball on his desk and enlarged it. The Torchic chirped at Daichi once more and Daichi returned her to her Pokéball. He set it down on the desk, turned off the desk light, and made his way to his bed. He collapsed on top of it and drifted off to sleep, the name Suga floating around his subconscious as sleep finally hit.

***

The following morning Daichi set out long before the sun was in the sky, wanting to make good headway towards Slateport. Also so he could avoid the standard "When will you be back" conversation with his parents. Daichi felt a little guilty about leaving without a proper goodbye, but it was better to avoid the conversation than to walk away frustrated. Daichi would give them a call later in the day, probably once he made it to Maulville. Daichi gently closed the front door to his parents' home before turning towards Route 112. He breathed in the morning air and with a wide grin, Daichi set off.

Lavaridge Town was quiet at 4am, the only sound aside from Daichi's footsteps were the gentle burble of the nearby hot springs and the usual sounds from Mt. Chimney that all Lavaridge residents had become accustom to over the years. Daichi thought about the fact that, had he come to Lavaridge on his own during his travels, he would have loved to stick around. But alas…. Daichi shook his head and hitched his backpack higher on his shoulders before continuing on his way. Daichi would take the brief Route 112 to the longer, desert-like Route 111 before reaching Maulville. Daichi planned to spend the night at Maulville's Pokémon Center hostel before continuing along Route 110 to Slateport. If he walked fast enough, it really wouldn't take Daichi more than two days to get there, but Daichi wasn't really in a hurry. Sugawara wasn't going anywhere.

***

Daichi arrived in Maulville after several long hours of walking exhausted. The walk itself hadn't been too bad at first. Daichi had let his Pokémon out of their Pokéballs once he hit Route 111, giving them the opportunity to stretch and walk with him. They stayed with him for the first half of Route 111, until the desert heat and a wicked sandstorm Daichi had forced Daichi to return them to their respective Pokéballs. Daichi had taken refuge in the nearby desert ruins while he waited for the storm to subside. Once inside, Daichi had spent the better part of two hours exploring the ruins before the storm died down and he could hit the road again. As a result, it was close to midnight by the time he arrived in Maulville. The city was still awake, given the late time, but Daichi was about ready to drop. He dragged himself to the city's Pokémon Center to check into their hostel for the night. The receptionist was friendly enough and waved him through to the communal living space. There were a handful of other trainers scattered around and Daichi made his way towards an empty bed in the corner, dropping his bag before flopping face first onto the bed.

"Hey man, you look exhausted," came a voice from above Daichi.

"Yeah, you look kinda dusty too," another voice chimed in. "You okay?"

With a groan, Daichi turned his head to give the newcomers a tired glare. Standing next to him were a bald headed guy who looked like an overgrown Youngster and a short Pokémon Ranger. The duo were giving Daichi a concerned look. With a sigh Daichi sat up and faced the two.

"I'm fine," Daichi grumbled. "Just got caught in a sandstorm along Route 111."

"Dude, that sucks," the Pokémon Ranger sympathized. "Well, glad you made it here okay. I'm Nishinoya Yuu, and this is my friend, Tanaka Ryuunosuke."

"Nice to meet ya!" Tanaka said.

Daichi knew the pair was just trying to be nice, so he figured he had to return the favor, "Sawamura Daichi."

"So Dusty Daichi," Tanaka began, sitting on the floor in front of Daichi, "where are you headed?"

"Slateport," Daichi responded, too tired to respond to the unwanted nickname and to want to give more than one word answers.

"Oh cool!" Nishinoya chimed in. "We're heading towards Verdanturf tomorrow morning to do some training and stuff. It'll be awesome."

"That's nice," Daichi replied, his response lost to the two overly excited men.

"OH! Wanna hear about how we met? We were in a Pokémon battle-…"

***

Overall, talking to Nishinoya and Tanaka hadn't been too bad. In fact, it was one of the nicer hostel stays that Daichi had had in a long time. The two were energetic, but their energy hadn't been draining like Daichi assumed it would be. They managed to get Daichi to open up about some of his backpacking experiences and they swapped stories until early in the morning. When they parted ways for the night, Daichi was kind of sad that he wasn't going to see them again. Nishinoya had implied that they would be gone before Daichi was awake and true to his word, they were. Daichi hadn't thought to swap PokéNav info with them, and though Daichi had been tempted to make a side trip with them on Route 117 to see Asahi, but he figured the delay would add unnecessary travel time to Slateport.

Daichi hit the road freshly showered and well fed a little before 7am. Daichi figured that he would make it to Slateport sometime in the late afternoon. He sent a message to Sugawara with this information, not expecting a response. To his surprise, Sugawara had sent back a "Aye aye Captain" with smiley face emoji. The simple message had amazingly brightened Daichi's morning and he suddenly found himself wanting to make it to Slateport sooner rather than later.

'Better get a move on,' Daichi thought to himself as he picked up the pace. 'I wonder if Suga will be hard to find.'

***

As it turned out, Sugawara wasn't the difficult one to find. It was finding someone to tell him how to get to the market. The first three people Daichi had asked were all wearing matching red hoodies with giant M's that looked way too hot for the humid beach climate of Slateport City, and all three of them had told him to beat it. Daichi finally found someone who wasn't with the red hoodie group who was kind enough to point him in the direction of the market. Daichi thanked the kind civilian and headed off towards the southwestern corner of the city, his PokéNav in hand as he went.

Text Conversation: Sugawara Koushi

[To Sugawara Koushi]: Hey, made it to Slateport. Heading to the Market now. How will I know who to look for?

Daichi passed under the northern gate of the Market when Sugawara's reply came through.

[From Sugawara Koushi]: I shouldn't be too hard to spot, the Market's pretty empty today. Just look for the gray hair and you'll see me.

'Gray hair?' Daichi asked himself, looking up from his PokéNav and surveying the area. As Daichi did a slow 360, his PokéNav pinged with a new message.

[From Sugawara Koushi]: Wait, I think I see you. Do you have an obnoxiously large yellow backpack?

Daichi frowned, it wasn't that obnoxious. Before Daichi could send off a reply, the most soothing voice imaginable reached his ears, "Hey, are you Daichi?"

Daichi turned towards the source of the voice, freezing in place when he found it. Approaching Daichi was the single most attractive man Daichi had ever seen. He was willowy with ash blond hair and oh god, he was still dressed in his work clothes, the standard sleeveless shirt and pants of a sailor. Asahi had completely failed to mention that his friend was a bombshell. The man seemed to falter once he got a good look at Daichi, his cheeks sporting a dusting of pink and, fuck was Daichi screwed. Daichi was so screwed he failed to notice the Pelipper heading straight for him until it hit him like a freight train. Daichi fell flat on his back as the bird Pokémon flew away with a loud caw.

"Oh my god!" Suga's voice came from somewhere nearby. There was a pounding of feet and Daichi's field of vision was suddenly filled with nothing but blue sky and a literal ray of sunshine. A concerned ray of sunshine, but still a ray of sunshine. "You okay?"

'Oh yeah,' Daichi thought as Suga pulled him to his feet. 'I am so screwed.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga shows Daichi his home and conversations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 2 is here! The response has been unbelieveable, thanks to everyone who has subscribed and kudosed, you all are great! Updates are gonna be a bit slow and I apologize for that, I have three or four different projects going on and I work full time. One of those projects is a Komaeda Nagito cosplay for VTCC, so if you're going, look for me! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Suga's home wasn't too far from the Market, Daichi found out. In fact, it was right on the beach overlooking Route 109. The house was tucked near the northwestern part of the beach, just outside cluster of scattered umbrellas and beach chairs. The house was fairly small with a blue roof and a matching blue and white awning over the front porch. Inflatable rings and umbrellas lined the porch, available for borrowing, Suga explained. A small sign off to the side read "The Seashore House". There was some other writing that had been scratched out, presumably by Suga.

"This place used to belong to six Trainers," Suga explained as they reached the front steps. "They'd regularly host battles inside of the house, kind of as a way to entertain kids who had been outside for too long, kind of as a way to make money. If you beat all six of them, they'd give you a six pack of soda."

"Oh, that's pretty neat," Daichi commented.

"It was, yeah," Suga agreed, sitting on the front steps. "Aside from the fact that I'm still repairing damages from battles years later."

"How long have you lived here?" Daichi asked as he pulled off his backpack and sat next to Suga.

"About two years now," Suga replied. "I actually got to battle the people who used to live here just before they moved. I won too, which was amazing considering I'm not that good."

Daichi gave Suga a smirk before asking, "And you ended up living here? What, did you decide the soda wasn't enough, so you took the house?"

Suga glanced at Daichi out of the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable as he deadpanned, "No. The soda wasn't enough."

Daichi's brow furrowed in concern as he turned to look at Suga. Suga tilted his head to look at Daichi. He raised one eyebrow before snorting and covering his mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter at the look on Daichi's face. Suga lowered his hand from his mouth and gave Daichi a punch on the shoulder, still giggling as he did so. Daichi would have been more phased by the punch if he hadn't been distracted by the sight of Suga laughing. God he was fucked.

"I didn't actually take the house from them, gosh!" Suga clarified between giggles. "I spent my first year here living with a friend of mine, and I had heard about the Seashore house so I decided to test it out. It took me a few tries, but I finally beat everyone who lived here. Since I kept coming back, they got to know me pretty well and when they moved, they offered to sell it to me, so I took it. I've been here ever since."

"I see," Daichi murmured, rubbing his shoulder absentmindedly.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as they watched the late afternoon beach goers. A couple kids ran up to borrow some inflatable tubes from Suga and Daichi watched as he helped them untie two tubes from the porch. The kids promised to return them before they left and ran off, leaving the two men alone again. Suga grinned at Daichi and gestured for the backpacker to follow him inside. Daichi nodded, standing and picking up his backpack from the sand before following Suga inside the house. Suga explained that he had remodeled the inside to make it more of a home and less of a battleground. He had kept the industrial size kitchen, but the dining area and the lounge areas had been renovated into a bedroom, a bathroom, and very comfortable living area. Snoozing on a futon near the door to what Daichi assumed was Suga's bedroom was a purple Vaporeon.

"You have a shiny Vaporeon?" Daichi asked, looking at the sleeping Pokémon.

"Yeah, he was my mother's," Suga explained as he fished more Pokéballs out of his pocket. "She found him as an Eevee in her garden one day when she lived in Petalburg. He had the same hair color as her so she took him in and when I moved here to Slateport, she gave him to me. Then one day he found a water stone and brought it to me, so I evolved him into a Vaporeon and that was that."

"I see," Daichi murmured as he sat next to the sleeping Vaporeon. He rested a hand on it and it woke with a startled chirp. Daichi removed his hand and it blinked sleepily at him.

"You're welcome to pet him, Shimmer's friendly," Suga laughed as he walked towards the front door. "I'm going to let the others out so they can stretch their wings and legs."

"Mind if I join you?" Daichi asked. "Mine have been in their Pokéballs since yesterday."

"Sure, come on," Suga gestured. "I want to see what kind of Pokémon a backpacker would have."

Daichi pushed himself off of the futon and followed Suga back out onto the porch. Daichi gently closed the door behind him and watched as Suga lined up his Pokéballs on the railing. Daichi unzipped his fanny pack and pulled out his Pokéballs, setting them on the railing as he watched Suga pick up a Pokéball. Suga pressed the button to activate the ball and tossed it. A bright light filled the area before it revealed a Wingull. The Wingull squawked loudly and circled upward to sit on the roof of the Seashore House. The following Pokémon was another bird Pokémon, a Murkrow that followed the Wingull up to the roof. Next came a Swablu, then a Ducklett. They too flew up to the roof, where Daichi realized several covered nests had been built. The bird Pokémon nestled themselves into the nests, chirping contentedly.

"So you like birds huh?" Daichi asked with a teasing grin.

"What gave it away? Suga retorted, turning to smile at Daichi.

"Here I thought you'd have grass types," Daichi commented. 

Suga let out a snort at that and Daichi felt his chest swell a bit at the sound; really, Suga was too cute for his own good.

"What's in the last one?" Daichi asked.

"My first ever Pokémon," Suga admitted as he picked up the last Pokéball. "Promise you won't laugh at her?"

"I promise," Daichi said.

Suga gave Daichi a look and tossed the ball. Out of the Pokéball popped a Mudkip. So that's why Suga didn't want Daichi to laugh. The Mudkip, smaller than average, teetered around a bit, unsure of her footing on the sand. She turned to look at Suga and made a pleased noise before scrambling towards her Trainer. Suga hopped off the porch to meet her and crouched down to catch her in his arms. The Mudkip nuzzled under Suga's chin, happy to see him.

"So I heard you like Mudkips," Daichi called from the porch.

Suga stiffened visibly and Daichi choked back a laugh. "You are quite literally the worst person in Hoenn, Sawamura Daichi," Suga hissed, straightening to glare at Daichi.

"Sorry, I couldn’t help it," Daichi apologized.

"Well, let's see your Pokémon then," Suga prodded as he cradled the Mudkip to his chest.

Daichi nodded and released his Pokémon. Daichi's Torchic chirped at him once he was released and hopped up onto the porch with him. The Sandshrew was ecstatic to be on sand and immediately began to dig a hole, the Geodude hovering nearby watching. The Ryhorn immediately moved to the shady side of the Seashore House and fell asleep and the Riolu and Machop joined soon after. 

"So you like ground and rock types," Suga began. "Is that because you've got-?"

"Please refrain from any rock hard comments," Daichi interrupted. "I have in fact heard them all before."

"I let you make a Mudkip joke," Suga whined. "Can't I make one rock hard comment about your muscles?"

Daichi snorted, "My muscles?"

"Have you seen yourself?" Suga deadpanned. "You look like your thighs could crush a watermelon."

***

"You didn't tell me that Suga was a literal angel," was the first thing Daichi said to Asahi that night once Suga had gone to bed.

"Nice to hear from you too," Asahi replied, mildly exasperated.

"You could have at least told me he was pretty," Daichi groaned. "I got blindsided by a Pelipper because I got distracted by him."

"Daichi that's the single most pathetic thing I've ever heard of," Asahi snorted.

"I don't wanna hear it," Daichi growled.

"Well, think of it this way," Asahi began, "you're lonely. You're gay. Suga is lonely. Suga is gay. You're welcome. Invite me to the wedding."

Daichi was taken aback; since when did Asahi sass him? "What's with you today?" Daichi asked. "Did something happen?"

Asahi mumbled something about a Pokémon Ranger and all conversation about Daichi's crush on Suga went out the window. Daichi had new teasing ammunition.

***

The two quickly fell into a routine. It turned out that both Daichi and Suga were early risers, Daichi out of habit, Suga out of necessity. Suga would emerge from his room and blearily stumble for the bathroom while Daichi, already wide awake and freshly returned from a run on the beach, would be making breakfast and coffee. This shocked Suga that first morning, as he had forgotten that he had a house guest in his half asleep state, but on the second day he welcomed the fact that he didn't have to make breakfast. After breakfast Suga would make himself lunch and run out the door. Daichi would spend the day exploring Slateport and the surrounding areas, coming home just after Suga to find dinner waiting on the table. It was surprisingly domestic and both found that neither really minded. It was nice.

It wasn't until a week later that there was a disruption in the routine. Suga woke up with a face full of Shimmer mewing loudly. Suga pushed him off and rolled to look at his clock, realization dawning on him; he forget to set his alarm. Suga swore loudly, scaring Shimmer off the bed as Suga fell onto the floor with a bang. He quickly threw on his uniform and scooped his Pokéballs into his pocket.

"Are you doing alright in there?" Daichi shouted from the kitchen.

"I'm running late!" Suga shouted back as he bolted from his bedroom to the bathroom. He was dressed and heading out the door less than two minutes later.

"Suga, wait!" Daichi called.

"I can't, I'm late!" Suga yelled over his shoulder. "I'll see you tonight for dinner!"

It wasn't until an hour into Suga's work day that he realized he didn't have breakfast or lunch. Perfect way to start the day, he supposed. Captain Michimiya Yui would give him a look every time his stomach rumbled, but Suga knew she wouldn't say anything about it to him. Not when she had other things to grill Suga about.

"So Koushi," Yui asked her first mate while they worked observation deck, her Lapras cooing at Suga's Mudkip from the water below. "You seem a little more out of it than usual."

Suga tried his best to not look embarrassed. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"The house guest not keeping you up too late is he?" Yui asked with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

"Oh god no," Suga replied, rather affronted. "Nothing like that. No."

"Mhmmm," Yui hummed with poorly concealed disbelief before pressing on. "So tell me about this house guest of yours. You've been doing a remarkable job of keeping him from us. I want details Koushi."

Koushi really didn't want to spill about Daichi. He thought he was a stronger man than that. But there was absolutely no stopping the word vomit that spewed from his mouth at the look on Yui's face, "Oh my god, Yui, you should see this man, I am so fucked. He's got these eyes that…. His hair looks so soft and…. His shoulders…. Arms… Oh god, those thighs! Thighs like that should be illegal, how are they even legal?! He has abs you could wash clothes on."

"So he's pretty?" Yui asked.

"And he's polite!" Suga exclaimed. "Seriously, he's made me breakfast every day for the past week as payment for letting him sleep on my futon. And he does it shirtless. Who cooks breakfast shirtless? Oh, I know, Mr. Perfect Backpacker. And worst of all, Asahi tells me he's single. AND gay. I have no idea how he hasn't been taken, he's a god. Plus Asahi keeps telling me that we're perfect for each other because of the whole rock-water-ground-flying thing. Symbols are involved Yui, symbols! Opposites attract!"

"Good thing we're surrounded by water Pokémon because you are thirsty as fuck," Yui teased.

Suga groaned and buried his face in his hands. He had never been this embarrassed in his life. Suga opened his mouth to continue his tirade only to be interrupted by a clamor on the main deck.

"Oh my god."

"Who is that beefcake?"

"Wait, is that him?"

"I think he is!"

"Please let it not be who I think it is," Suga groaned.

"Oh my god, look at that Torchic!"

And there they were, Suga's worries confirmed. Suga resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands as Yui patted his shoulder. "Hang in there, Sailor," she commented.

"KOUSHI," Chizuru called from the main deck. "There's a literal Adonis with a cute Pokémon here to see you!"

"Kill me please," Suga muttered to Yui before making his way towards the main deck. His Mudkp scampered to keep up with him.

"Go get him Tiger," Yui called after Suga, giving him a wide grin and a thumbs up. Suga didn't have the energy to flip her off.

Once he reached the main deck, Suga could see his fellow crew members gathered around the port side railing, fawning over Daichi unabashedly. Daichi was standing on the dock taking all of the girls' comments fairly well, laughing them off with a mild blush and a hand rub on the back of his neck. His Torchic seemed to be reveling in the attention and was trying its best to look at cute as possible. Still, Daichi had a reason to be here and it wasn't to be lightly harassed by a crew of sailor women. Time for Knight in Shining Armor Suga to step in.

"Alright, time to stop harassing the man," Suga called as he approached the group. "You'll scare him off." There was a collective groan from the amassed group, but Suga was having none of it and put on his best First Mate Face. "Don't make me get Captain Michimiya down here," Suga threatened. There was a louder whine, but true to form, the group dissipated at the mention of the Captain. One of these days, they'd learn that Yui was a huge softy, but for now, Suga would use her authority to his advantage. Suga approached the railing and gave Daichi a wave. Daichi waved back and Suga pointed to the gangplank. Daichi nodded in response, gesturing for the Torchic to follow him. Suga made his way across the deck and walked down the gangplank to join them at the dock.

"Your coworkers seem nice," Daichi commented.

"Crew members is the nautical term," Suga joked. "And you say that now. I was sure they were going to eat you alive."

"I'm sure they're not that bad," Daichi murmured.

"Don't let them hear you say that," Suga warned.

"Duly noted," Daichi smiled.

"So what brings you and Torchy here to my part of Slateport?" Suga asked.

Daichi's demeanor shifted in that moment, going from relaxed to nervous in milliseconds. He glanced off to the side with a blush spreading from the tips of his ears down below the collar of his shirt; oh god, he was a full body blusher. Daichi rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat before presenting Suga with a wrapped bundle.

"You left in a bit of a rush this morning," Daichi began, "and I noticed that you didn't have time to eat breakfast or pack yourself a lunch, so I brought you something. I don't know what sort of things you do during the day, but it's important to keep your energy up."

It took Suga a moment to process that Daichi had made and brought him food, but the moment it clicked, the realization hit him like a truck. Holy shit. Holy shit, Daichi brought him food. Daichi cared about Suga's wellbeing. Daichi was being domestic. Holy shit. And Daichi was staring. Because Suga was staring. Right. Conversation. Words. Manners. Yes. That's a thing that Suga could do. Suga reached out and took the wrapped lunch from Daichi, a blush of his own on his face.

"That was very thoughtful of you Daichi," Suga murmured. "Thank you, you really didn't have to."

"I know I didn't have to," Daichi said, "but I wanted to. And if you're not busy, maybe we can eat lunch together."

Before Suga could reply, there was a shout from the main deck, "OF COURSE HE WANTS TO."

"Yui, don't interrupt, it's rude!" Suga yelled back.

"Koushi, a word please," Yui called as she leaned over the railing.

Suga signaled for Daichi to wait and stormed back up the gangplank. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack here?" he hissed once he saw his Captain.

"Koushi, that man brought you food," Yui hissed back. "He is asking you to eat lunch with him, and knowing your self-sabotaging ass, you were about to turn him down. I am doing you a favor."

"I was not about to tell him no," Suga growled. "Besides, we eat together all the time!"

"Are you seriously that dense?" Yui snapped. "If I weren't a lesbian, I'd take that man home for myself. No house guest just makes you food. He wants you. Wine and dine him Koushi."

"It's not even my lunch break!" Suga replied with exasperation.

"You get the rest of the day off effective immediately," Yui shrugged. "Enjoy your afternoon date with your man."

"But-," Suga tried weakly.

"No buts!" Yui shouted. "Off my ship before I get Lappy to hit you with water gun. That's an order sailor!"

Suga stared at the Captain for a moment before turning slowly and walking off the ship. He descended to the dock and cleared his throat. Daichi gave him a guilty smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you in trouble?" Daichi asked.

"No actually," Suga admitted. "I have the rest of the day off. So, lunch?"

Daichi gave Suga a wide smile and Suga felt his stomach do a flip. "Sounds fantastic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but imagine the Karasuno women's team in the canon Pokémon sailor outfits.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Suga spend the day together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had planned on posting this earlier today because I was home sick from work, but it's going on 2am and I'm just barely posting it now because I decided that today was the perfect day to start watching Mob Psycho 100 and Days. But here's chapter 3! Make sure you check out the three, that's right, THREE other fics in the series. Enjoy!

The pair left the wharf and made their way towards the nearby lighthouse. The people in the red sweaters Daichi had seen when he first arrived passed Daichi and Suga, making their way north. Daichi assumed they were on their way to the Ocean Museum, which was odd considering Daichi could hear them muttering "seven-point-eight out of ten, too much fucking water" and "would not come here again" under their breath. It wasn't until they passed a group of people dressed as pirates that Daichi decided to voice his confusion.

"Is there a convention nearby or something?" Daichi asked as they sat down on the steps of the lighthouse.

"No, I have no idea what they're here for," Suga admitted. "They showed up here around the same time as you. The red ones call themselves Team Magma and the blue ones call themselves Team Aqua."

"I met some of the Team Magma ones, I think, on the first day I got here," Daichi said, unwrapping his food. "They weren't exactly the friendliest bunch."

"They aren't," Suga agreed. "I keep seeing them outside the museum and the wharf. They’re constantly protesting something, but I never stick around long enough to listen to them. Something about the ocean being too much?"

"If they think the ocean is too much, they might be in the wrong place," Daichi said as he gestured to the large amounts of water surrounding Slateport.

Suga didn't respond, but let out a snort before unwrapping his own lunch. The two ate in relative silence, the sounds of nearby waves and indistinct conversations from passersby's conversations keeping the scene from being totally silent. Slateport was definitely one of the nicer places Daichi had ever stayed in, he decided. It was a nice change of pace from the usual rocky climates he chose.

"So Daichi," Suga began, cutting into Daichi's thoughts. "Anything in particular you want to do today? I'd suggest the museum, but if the Magma people are there it might not be the best place to visit."  
"Well, I kind of wanted to see if there was anything along Route 109 aside from ocean, but I don't exactly have a Pokémon that knows Surf," Daichi said.

"Shimmer does, but he's not exactly built for carrying people along in the water," Suga admitted. "We can rent a boat sometime and explore either Route 109 or Route 134 if you're interested."

"Sounds good to me," Daichi agreed. 

"For today, how about we hang out on the beach? I feel like we haven't gotten to spend a whole lot of time together aside from breakfast and dinner," Suga suggested.

"That's part of the reason why I brought you lunch," Daichi said. "Well, aside from the fact that you ran out the door without eating."

"Listen," Suga began, flicking Daichi in the temple to cover his slight embarrassment, "sometimes you oversleep your alarm. It happens."

Daichi chuckled while rubbing the side of his head, "Alright, I'll give you that much. So, beach day?"

"Beach day," Suga agreed, helping Daichi to his feet.

The pair made their way back to Seashore House to prepare for their day at the beach. Once they reached the sand, they released their Pokémon and trekked across the hot sand. The beach itself was fairly packed, but the group reached Suga's home with little problems. Upon entering, Suga bee lined for his room while Daichi stood awkwardly by the futon. Daichi had forgotten that he was missing something crucial for a day at the beach.

"Uh, Suga?" Daichi called.

"Yeah?" came the response from the bedroom.

"Do you have a swimsuit I can borrow?" Daichi asked. "I didn't think to bring one."

"Um," was the response, followed by the sound of drawers being opened and closed. "I might… Hang on…." There was more rustling noises from Suga's room before Suga reentered the living room, dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks with splashes of pastel colors, carrying a teal bundle under his arms. "So, I'm not sure how these'll fit on you. You and I are roughly the same height, but I don't quite have the…" Suga paused to gesture at Daichi's lower body, "that you have. But I hope that these will work."

Daichi took the swim shorts from Suga, trying not to read too much into the fact that Suga kept talking about his legs. The swim shorts were very much the type of shorts Daichi would expect Suga to have. They were teal with patterned stripes of pink, purple, black, blue and white. Near the top of the swim trunks were palm trees while the middle band had the four types of Oricorio in their respective dance poses. Daichi looked up from the shorts and gave Suga an amused look, one eyebrow quirked.

"I bought them on a work trip to Alola," Suga explained. "I thought they looked good."

"I'm sure they will, Daichi agreed, looking down at the shorts before looking back up at Suga. "Do you mind?"

"No?" Suga replied, not quite understanding what Daichi was trying to communicate.

Daichi made a twirling motion with his finger.

"Oh!" Suga exclaimed before turning to face the other way. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Daichi replied as he quickly swapped his shorts for the swim trunks. They were slightly too small, but Daichi had expected as much. It's not like Suga hadn't told him they would be. He tied the drawstring of the shorts then, after a moment of brief debate, took off his own t-shirt and tossed it onto his bag. "Alright, you can turn back around."

Suga turned back to face Daichi, freezing in place once he did so. Daichi raised an eyebrow and put his hands on his hips. "So," he began. "That bad huh?"

"Muscles." was all Suga had to say in response before recovering. "I mean, looks good. There's abs….solutely nothing wrong with the shorts they look good I'm gonna shut up now."

"If you're sure," Daichi trailed off.

"I'm positive," Suga replied, grabbing Daichi by the shoulders, turning him around and shoving him towards the door of the house. "I need to grab a few more things, why don't you wait outside?"

"Sure you don't want me to help?" Daichi asked.

"I'll be fine," Suga insisted as he pushed Daichi out the door. He grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from a nearby counter and placed it in Daichi's hand. "Go put that on, I'll be out in five."

With that, Suga all but slammed the door on Daichi, leaving the backpacker alone outside with the Pokémon. He shrugged at them before popping the cap on the sunscreen and sitting on the porch to apply it. Daichi could have sworn he heard Suga slump against the door with a muffled "Fuck", but that was really none of his business. 

***

A day on the beach was really what the pair needed. They set up camp with their Pokémon a short way away from the dock under a blue and white umbrella. Rhyhorn buried himself partially in the sand in imitation of Sandshrew, who had done the same thing once Suga claimed their spot. Riolu, Mudkip, and Machop began to build a sandcastle while Geodude, Torchic and the other bird types nestled together under the umbrella. Shimmer was content to curl up in Suga's shadow while Suga lounged on a beach towel next to Daichi. They had helped each other put on sunscreen when they first arrived and were now relaxing and watching the other beach goers with their Pokémon enjoy the sunny day.

Suga let out a contented sigh lying back on the towel with one arm pillowed under his head. "I have to admit," Suga mumbled. "It's nice to not be working today."

"I can imagine," Daichi responded, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees.

"Thanks for this," Suga continued. "I usually don't get days like this."

"You're welcome," Daichi grinned before the pair lapsed back into silence. 

They sat side by side for a few more minutes, just enjoying each others' company. Shimmer let out a yawn and padded over to Daichi, head butting Daichi in the side until he reached down to pet the Pokémon. Shimmer cooed, leaning into the touch. Daichi smiled at the water Pokémon before turning to his owner.

"So, have you named any of your other Pokémon?" Daichi asked Suga, breaking the silence.

"I haven't actually," Suga replied. "Shimmer came with the name, so I kept it as is. Have you named any of yours?"

"I haven't," Daichi said. "I was never sure what to name them. I had always expected Asahi to name them for me, but he was always too worried that he was going to give them a name I wouldn't like."

"He gave me the same reason whenever I asked him to do that too," Suga admitted with a sigh and a shake of his head. "He worries too much."

"Have you talked to him recently?" Daichi asked.

"No, why?" Suga asked in turn.

"He met some Pokémon Ranger who swept him off his feet," Daichi said casually.

"Really?" Suga questioned, a mischievous look in his eye. "And he didn't tell me?"

"It was about a week ago," Daichi explained. "I think he was the same one I ran into in Maulville. Real nice, super short, traveling with a wannabe Ace Trainer."

"Interesting combo," Suga said thoughtfully. "I'll have to remember that the next time I have the overwhelming urge to tease him." Switching gears, Suga asked, "So did you get your Torchic from Asahi too?"

"No, I got her from Professor Ukai," Daichi said. "It was shortly after Professor Birch retired and Ukai took over for him. Everyone else came from Asahi's Home for Wayward Pokémon."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Suga commented.

"Did you get your Mudkip from Ukai?" Daichi asked. "Or did you get her from Asahi?"

"I got her from Birch actually," Suga said. "I started a bit late on the whole Pokémon Trainer thing, so I was about 12 when I got her."

"12 beats my 15," Daichi pointed out.

"Late bloomer huh?" Suga teased. "Is that why your Torchic's still a Torchic?"

"Hey, she's perfect the way she is," Daichi said in defense of his starter, who chirped at him from her place under the umbrella.

"I've been meaning to ask about that actually," Suga admitted as he sat up on the blanket. "How come you haven't evolved any of your Pokémon? I mean, backpacking must involve some run ins with wild Pokémon."

"They have," Daichi said. "I just usually booked it. I really didn't have an interest in making my Pokémon fight other Pokémon."

"So you've never been in a battle before?" Suga asked.

"No, I have," Daichi explained. "I just don't if I can help it."

Suga let the information process for a moment before he got to his feet, "Right, let's battle."

"What?" Daichi asked, shocked. "Why?"

"Because you're staying at Seashore House," Suga clarified. "If you're going to be staying with the owner, you gotta battle me at least once. If you win, I'll get you a six pack of soda."

"And if you win?" Daichi asked.

"You let me touch your six pack," Suga said before biting his lip, eyes wide at his own brashness.

"What?" Daichi asked, face flushed.

"I mean, you cook me dinner," Suga amended with all the grace of a newborn Deerling. "Right, pick a Pokémon to begin with."

"You know, I never agreed to this," Daichi said as he got to his feet.

"For a backpacker, you are awfully lacking in the 'sense of adventure' department," Suga whined. "Don't be such a buzzkill."

"Fine, fine," Daichi conceded. "I'll start with Machop."

"I'll start with Wingull," Suga said.

The two Pokémon in question perked up at the sound of their names and moved to join their respective owners. The other Pokémon looked around before moving to imaginary sidelines. Machop took a fighting stance in front of Daichi and Wingull settled gently on the warm sand. All activity on the beach seemed to cease as Daichi and Suga squared up against one another. Daichi knew instantly that things were probably not going to go his way.

"Machop, use Cross Chop," Daichi commanded at the same time Suga said, "Wingull, use Aerial Ace."

Daichi could only watch as Machop was fit full speed by the Wingull. Machop reeled backwards before falling onto his back. It was a one hit K.O. Daichi moved over to their things and grabbed Machop's Pokéball. He returned Machop to his Pokéball and watched as Suga gave his Wingull a pat on the head.

"Nice job!" Suga praised the Wingull before turning back to Daichi. "Let's do best three out of five. One-nothing."

"Sounds good," Daichi agreed as Suga called Wingull back. Daichi looked to the where the Pokémon waited on the imaginary sidelines and pointed at Riolu, "Come on out buddy!"

Riolu clenched his paws and let out a small screech before running out to where Machop had been standing. Suga gave Daichi an amused grin, which Daichi returned with a smile and a shrug.

"He's pretty scrappy," Daichi admitted, much to Suga's amusement.

"Swablu, let's go!" Suga called.

Swablu chirped in response and bounced across the sand, her cloud-like wings fluttering with each hop. The two Pokémon faced each other, ready to go.

"Swablu, use Peck!" Suga called, but Daichi was prepared this time.

"Riolu, use Quick Attack!" He called. "Then use Force Palm!"

Riolu leapt into action, sprinting towards Swablu before she had time to react and hitting her with a quick series of well placed hits. Swablu barely had time to react before Riolu hit her with the Force Palm, knocking Swablu backwards, but not completely knocking her out. Swablu staggered backwards before coming to a standstill, paralyzed.

"Nice one Riolu," Daichi called. "Use Force Palm again!"

Riolu nodded, rushing forward as Suga yelled, "Swablu, use Refresh, then Dragon Pulse!"

A soft aura surrounded Swablu, healing her paralysis. Swablu opened her mouth to release a beam of energy at Riolu, but Riolu had beat her, quite literally, to the punch. Riolu's Force Palm slammed into Swablu before Swablu could react, and the bird was down for the count, collapsing on the beach with a sad chirp. Suga groaned before returning Swablu to her Pokéball with a whispered, "You did great." Riolu rushed back to Daichi and jumped into his arms, pleased with his performance. Daichi caught him with a laugh and high fived the small Pokémon.

"Great job pal, that was great," Daichi commented before he too returned his Pokémon to his ball. He looked up at Suga with a grin, "One-one."

"I haven't lost yet," Suga replied, the smile never falling from his face. "Murkrow, go!"

"Geodude, let's roll!" Daichi called.

"That was awful," Suga groaned as the two new Pokémon stepped onto the field.

"What can I say?" Daichi grinned. "Dad jokes are my specialty."

***

Suga ended up winning by the skin of his teeth. The pair had been tied two to two with Sandshrew and Shimmer in the last round. Daichi had thought that using Sandstorm and Dig would give him the advantage, but Suga had countered with a well timed Surf that knocked Sandshrew clean out. But it had been close. Suga had passed Daichi some revives once they made it back to the Seashore House and set about making dinner.

"So, I think you said something about loser makes dinner," Daichi commented, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"You made me lunch today though," Suga pointed out, gesturing vaguely with a knife.

"True, but you also beat me fair and square," Daichi countered, thankfully not bringing up the first prize Suga had suggested.

"You can help me make something," Suga compromised.

Daichi agreed and got to work. Dinner was ready before they knew it and they sat on the porch to eat, watching the sun set. In a moment of unconscious action, Daichi rested his hand next to Suga's, their fingers brushing gently. Daichi jolted slightly, but decided to go for it and gently nudged Suga's hand with his own. Daichi glanced at Suga out of the corner of his eye, gauging his reaction, and was pleased when Suga pushed his hand under Daichi's. Daichi smiled and brushed his thumb over the back of Suga's hand. Suga let out a contented sigh, setting his plate next to him and leaning against Daichi's shoulder. Daichi tilted his head and the pair stayed like that until long after the sun set. Without a word the pair got up to go inside, grabbing their plates as they went. They placed them in the sink and turned to look at each other, unsure of their next move.

"I um," Daichi began, clearing his throat before continuing. "Thanks for today. I had a great time."

"I should be thanking you," Suga commented. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time. Also thanks for battling with me. I know that's a little outside of your comfort zone."

"It's no problem," Daichi replied. "I had fun."

"Good," Suga murmured, hoping the conversation wouldn't lapse into one of those awkward silences that lead to regrettable decisions.

Luckily, Daichi had the same idea, because he chose that moment to place a hand on Suga's shoulder and say, "Well, I'm pretty beat. I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight Suga." With that, Daichi placed a kiss on Suga's cheek and walked towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Suga opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His cheeks burned red and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to jump for joy or curl up into a ball and screech. Regardless, Suga allowed himself to raise a hand to the place where Daichi had pressed his lips to his cheek and Suga let out a sigh.

"Goodnight Daichi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Daichi's and Suga's swim trunks can be found at chubbiesshorts.com. Daichi's rocking the Coconut Groves and Suga's got the Electric Fronds.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Suga have a talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO this chapter, ok. I've been struggling with this chapter for a few weeks now, and it has fought me every step of the way. It was originally a lot more angsty than this, but then I remembered that I hate the brand of angst I was trying to shoehorn in here, so I had to back off and find a new perspective. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out all things considered. This is actually being posted from a train, as I'm starting a weeklong vacation in Washington D.C. with my parents. I may have chapter 5 posted tonight. If I don't then it'll definitely be posted next Monday on my train ride home. As always, thanks to everyone who has kudos'd, commented and subscribed, you guys are the best! Make sure to check out the other fics in the Haikyuu in Hoenn series, they rock (and tie into this fic a little)

The only way Daichi could describe the following morning was unnecessarily tense. Upon returning to Seashore House after his usual morning run, Daichi pushed the door open in time to watch Suga jump and bolt for the bathroom. Daichi and Mudkip exchanged a look before Daichi madehis way over to the closed door. Daichi had knocked on the door and asked if Suga was alright, but received no response from the other man other than a half-assed reassurance that he was fine. Something in Suga's tone didn't sit well with Daichi, but he backed off and went to make the pair breakfast. Suga had crept out of the bathroom a few minutes later looking like he'd been dragged through hell and back. There were dark circles under his eyes that Daichi was positive weren't there yesterday and Suga's hair lacked its usual luster. All in all, Suga looked like crap. Daichi tried to not look at Suga with too much concern as Suga plopped down at the dining table, but it was a futile effort.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Daichi asked, placing breakfast in front of Suga.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Suga reassured Daichi. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Daichi pressed as he sat down across from Suga.

"Look at the time," Suga exclaimed, practically jumping to his feet before power walking to the door. "Gotta run, sorry to skip breakfast, see you tonight. Come on Mudkip!"

"Suga, wait!" Daichi called out, but Suga was already out the door. Daichi let out a puff of air and slouched in defeat. He wasn't sure what had changed between the previous night and then, but Daichi was sure that Suga was avoiding him over something. Daichi was positive he hadn't misread the feelings shared between the two of them, but then again, he could have been wrong. Daichi made up his mind to talk to Suga about it when he got home that night and moved to take care of the abandoned dishes. They were adults. They could talk it out.

***

"So that's the long and short of it. In my rational mind, I know we're adults and that we can talk this out, but I have no idea what to say to him," Daichi told Asahi three hours later, trying not to whine too much into the PokéNav as he threw himself onto Suga's futon. "I feel that I may have freaked him out a bit, but I don't know how to ask if I'm the problem or not."

"Welcome to my life," Asahi replied without a trace of sarcasm. "I know exactly how that feels."

Daichi groaned, flopping face first onto the futon. Shimmer, who had been unceremoniously left behind by Suga that morning, mewled pathetically at Daichi, stretching to paw at Daichi's ribs. When Daichi didn't immediately respond to the vaporeon, Shimmer mewled again and jumped up onto the futon. Shimmer proceeded to clamber onto Daichi's lower back, curl into a ball and fall asleep.

"Hey, what? No. Off." Daichi said to the Pokémon, turning his head to reprimand Shimmer, but Shimmer slept on.

"You still there Daichi?" Asahi asked on the other end.

"Yeah, Suga's vaporeon just decided to take a nap on me," Daichi sighed.

"Aw, that's adorable!"

"Not when he's pressing me face first into a futon," Daichi grumbled.

"It's still pretty cute," Asahi insisted.

Daichi grumbled in response, burying his face in the futon once more. "What should I do Asahi?" he mumbled.

"Well, what is it that you want from Suga? Are you looking for a long term relationship? Are you looking for a hookup? Do you see yourself staying in Slateport for him, or do you picture him coming back to Lavaridge with you? Do you think you'd ever invite him backpacking with you?" Asahi pressed.

"Christ, I'm not bringing him to Lavaridge, my parents would probably eat him alive," Daichi said with a wince. "But I do want something with him. I don't know Asahi, it's only been a week, but I feel like that was more than enough time to know that I want to be with him. You know?"

"Oddly enough, I do, "Asahi commented. "I think the best thing to talk to him after he gets home tonight." "Don't corner him or anything like that, give him time to adjust to being home after work, then tell him you want to talk about last night and this morning. It's easy. Well, I mean, I'd have a hard time doing it, and I did kind of have a hard time with it with Noya, but I think you're less anxious than I am, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Seeing as how you and Noya are still talking, you did fine you big wuss," Daichi teased . "But I do appreciate your advice Asahi. Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome Daichi, I hope things turn out okay," Asahi said before disconnecting the call.

Daichi dropped his PokéNav with a sigh. Shimmer briefly woke to make a quiet chirping sound and to readjust his position before falling back to sleep. Carefully, Daichi fished around in his pocket until he found Machop's Pokéball and released him. Machop looked at Daichi with unfocused, sleepy eyes and Daichi felt a pang of attention for the Pokémon. Daichi opened the camera function on his PokéNav and handed it to Machop. Machop looked between Daichi and the PokéNav, confused until Daichi motioned to the sleeping vaporeon and mimed taking a picture. Machop nodded once and held up the PokéNav to get the picture. Daichi let his face fall onto the futon and gave a thumbs up in the general direction of Machop. Daichi waited a few moments before he felt Machop tap his shoulder and the PokéNav dropped onto the futon next to Daichi's head. Daichi looked up, gave Machop a nod of approval, and sent the photo to Asahi. Once that was done, Daichi relaxed back onto the futon and began to plan his end of the conversation he would have with Suga.

***

"I need your advice," Suga told Yui as he helped her carry a crate of food up the gangplank.

"With what?" Yui asked, adjusting her grip on her end of the crate.

"Relationship stuff," Suga replied.

The pair made it onto the deck of the ship and carried it to the cargo hold. Once there, they set the crate against a wall and Yui sat down on a nearby trunk. She patted the lid next to her and Suga dropped onto it. He heard Yui shift forward and felt her hand come to rest reassuringly on his shoulder.

"Did something happened with the backpacker yesterday?" Yui asked gently.

"Kind of," Suga replied. "We ended up spending the day together on the beach, and by spend the day together, I mean flirting continuously for hours until he kissed me goodnight on the cheek." Yui made a noise of approval, but Suga elected to ignore it, continuing, "I then proceeded to get no sleep last night because I was overthinking everything, and I may have offended Daichi this morning by running out the door in a panic when he asked if I wanted to talk about it. So now I feel awful and I have no idea what to say to him."

Yui was silent for a moment, deep in thought before asking, "What were you thinking about last night?"

"There was a plethora of things," Suga admitted. "I was thinking about whether or not we were moving too fast, if we were even compatible with each other in the long run, if he likes me or likes the idea of me, if it would be presumptuous of me to assume he'd stay with me if I asked, if he'd get bored and leave one day without warning, if he'd let me come along with him if he decided to go explore other regions. Stuff like that. The usual anxieties." Suga's admission was met with a swift punch in the shoulder by Yui. Suga let out a bark of laughter and rubbed his arm with a wince, "Thanks for that."

"For being one of the most chill people I know, you certainly have a surprising lack of chill," Yui whistled as she sat back on the trunk.

"I know," Suga sighed. "So, what advice does the amazing Yui have to give?"

"Well, first of all, maybe a take a deep breath," Yui suggested. "If he was bold enough to give you a kiss on the cheek after a week, then you definitely don't need to worry about whether or not he likes you."

Suga nodded and inhaled slowly. He held his breath for a few moments before releasing it with a quiet exhale. Satisfied, Yui nodded and leaned forward once more.

"Second, apologize for running out on him this morning. I'm sure he's a reasonable enough guy to forgive your insecurities. Third, you should really talk to Daichi about expectations and communications. Look at Chizuru and me, for example. She didn't start working on this ship until after she and I started dating. When we first were starting out, she worked as a scientist in the Ocean Museum, and I made sure to tell her that my lifestyle was important to me. She knew coming into this relationship that I'd be gone for days or weeks at a time and while we had some hiccups, we worked around it. It just so happened that after a year of dating, we partnered with the Ocean Museum to allow scientists on our voyages and we got to work together. I'm sure you and Daichi can figure something out. You're both capable adults. Don't give up this opportunity to have some additional happiness in your life."

"Thanks Yui," Suga murmured.

"Don't thank me yet," Yui said. "You two still need to find the middle ground.

***

Dinner that night was less tense than breakfast had been, but there was still a heaviness that lingered in the air. Conversation was stiffer than it had been, and there was an unspoken "We need to talk" that hung around each pause, but neither knew where to begin. Once dinner was finished, Suga cleared the table before Daichi could help and retreated to the kitchen without a word. Silence descended on Seashore House, an oppressive silence that choked the inhabitants. Daichi sighed; it was now or never. 

"Right," Daichi said, finally cutting into the silence. "Suga, can we talk please?"

Daichi watched as Suga's back muscles tensed, like the man was about to bolt. Daichi quickly rose to his feet and crossed the space to stand behind Suga, patiently waiting for the other man to speak. Suga said nothing, but he squared his shoulders and turned to glance at Daichi over his shoulder.

"Go ahead," Suga replied.

"Did I upset you yesterday?" Daichi asked, immediately launching into the heart of the problem. "By kissing you on the cheek, I mean?"

There was a pause as Suga lowered the dish in his hands to the sink. With an inhale, Suga turned to look at Daichi fully, his expression unreadable. His hands gripped the counter and he let out a shaky breath. "Yes and no," Suga muttered. "No, because I really wanted it to happen. Yes, because it opened up a whole new mess of anxieties." Daichi didn't say anything, but motioned for Suga to continue. Suga took a moment to collect his thoughts and said, "To be honest with you, I'm a little scared."

"Scared?" Daichi repeated.

"Yeah, a lot of this situation scares me," Suga confessed. "We've known each other for a week, so part of me worries about us taking it to far too fast. That you're going to get bored with me and just leave one day. I mean, I don't expect you to stay in Slateport forever, but I don't want to tie you down here and then have you resent me, you know?"

Daichi remained silent and Suga felt his face flush in embarrassment. He cleared his throat once, hand coming to rest on the back of his neck as he averted his gaze. Suga was about to tell Daichi to ignore his words when he heard the approach of gentle footsteps. A large palm cradled Suga's cheek and Suga closed his eyes against the gentle brush of a thumb against his cheekbone.

"Suga," Daichi whispered. "Will you look at me please?" Daichi waited until Suga made eye contact with him to continue, "It's true, at some point I will want to leave Slateport. Staying in one place for too long makes me a little stir crazy. But I could never resent you, especially not if you want me around."

Suga made a choked noise in the back of his throat, but before he could say anything, Daichi was pressing his lips against his cheek, just under his left eye.

"Daichi," Suga began, but Daichi was already pulling away.

"I know what I want out of this," Daichi said, surprising himself with how steady his voice was despite his insides doing gymnastics. "I want to be with you, but I recognize your concern that we might be moving too fast. If you need some space so you can think things over, I can leave for a bit and come back."

"Give me half an hour?" Suga croaked.

Daichi gave Suga a gentle smile and removed his hand from Suga's face. "Take as much time as you need," he whispered before walking outside.

Once the door shut with a click, Suga slumped backwards against the counter. His face still tingled from where Daichi had touched him, from where Daichi had kissed him. After twenty, Suga still hadn't moved from his spot against the counter, absently staring at the doorway. He would have stayed lost in his thoughts if not for Shimmer and Mudkip. The pair headbutted Suga in the shins in competition for attention. Suga crouched down and hugged the pair with tears shining in his eyes.

"I think I have an answer for him, come on!" Suga said as he ran out the door.

***

Daichi had made it to the northern part of Slateport, just outside of the entrance to Route 110. Slateport seemed deserted at this time of night, the only sign of life coming from the Pokémon Club House and the lighthouse near the southern edge of the city. The city was silent and Daichi was alone with his thoughts.

Daichi was actually kind of glad that Suga had asked for some space. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to keep his cool if Suga had told him to stay. Daichi had been fairly close to losing his composure and waxing poetic and wouldn't that have been embarrassing for everyone involved. Daichi hoped that Suga had taken his confession well, but only time would tell. Well, he'd hopefully have his answer in ten minutes, if the clock on his PokéNav was anything to go by. Daichi tucked his PokéNav back into his pocket and turned to make his way back towards Seashore House when a dark blur of movement caught his eye. Daichi turned towards the shipyard in time to see six shadows congregated just outside the main doors. Daichi couldn't make out conversation from where he was, but something about the way the shadows were poised seemed confrontational. Daichi edged towards the group and in the faint light of the shipyard, could see the colors of Team Magma and Team Aqua. One of the Team Magma members had a crowbar in their hands and had it raised, either to strike at the door or a Team Aqua member, Daichi wasn't sure. But it certainly didn't look good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone were to draw the pic of Shimmer sleeping on Daichi, I would probably marry them on the spot, I'm just saying.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Suga face off against Team Aqua and Team Magma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, here's the penultimate chapter of my portion of the Haikyuu!! in Hoenn series! I know I said that I'd try to get it posted last week, but I was on vacation with my parents in DC/Virginia this past week, so I didn't really get much of a chance to work on it. Chapter 6 will be up next week! Thanks to everyone who's left comments and kudos and subscribed. I know I say it every chapter, but your support of this story and this series really mean a lot to me and my friends. Without further ado, Chapter 5!

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Daichi shouted at the group, sprinting towards them without any thoughts of self preservation. The six gang members turned in unison towards Daichi, each one adopting a unique fighting stance which would have been comical under any other circumstance.

"Shit, it's the PokéCops!" one of the Team Aqua Grunts hissed.

"Does he look like a PokéCop to you, dumbass?" a Team Magma Grunt snapped.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the other Magma Grunts asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Daichi shot back. "And I repeat, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The Team Aqua Grunts and the Team Magma Grunts shared a look before crossing their arms and glaring at Daichi. Daichi raised one eyebrow, which earned him a sneer. Alright, two can play at this game. Daichi gave the group a look right back, using his best "I'm not mad, just disappointed" face. When that didn't work, Daichi singled out the youngest of the Grunts and leveled them with his most imposing "I'm pissed and you will tell me everything right now" face. 

"We're gonna steal a submarine," the youngest of the Team Aqua Grunts squeaked, earning a sharp elbow jab to the ribs.

Daichi certainly wasn't expecting that. "….You're what?"

The Team Magma Grunt that seemed to be in charge shook his head and said, "Never mind that. While our fight is between is Magma and Aqua, you know too much. We can't have you interfere with our plans."

If Daichi hadn't been mildly concerned before, he certainly was at that point. "Hey now, let's just take it nice and easy," Daichi said, trying his hand at complacency. "I don't know anything other than you guys want a submarine. We don't have to take it any farther than that."

"Hey, yeah," one of the Team Aqua Grunts agreed. "Let's show him what the combined power of Team Magma and Team Aqua can do!"

"Seriously, this isn't necessary," Daichi said, backing away.

Daichi's words had little effect on the group, who followed him backwards. Daichi was about to turn tail and run when a familiar voice rang out in the night, calling his own name. Daichi and the Grunts turned towards the source of the voice and watched as Suga came sprinting from the darkness, Shimmer and Mudkip hot on his heels. Suga skidded to a halt next to Daichi, bending at the waist with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. Daichi gently rested his hand between Suga's shoulder blades and rubbed until the other man straightened.

"Daichi, what's going on?" Suga asked. "I came looking for you and then I heard them threatening you so we ran over here."

"Who's this guy?" One of the Magma Grunts muttered to his companions.

"No idea," one of the Aqua Grunts replied.

"Well, these guys," Daichi explained with a gesture towards the otherwise ignored Grunts, "are Team Aqua and Team Magma. I stopped them from breaking in to steal a submarine or something stupid like that and now they're threatening to take me out."

"Wait, what…? Actually, you know what? Never mind, I don't want to know," Suga said with a shake of his head. "You guys need to clear out of here. You're not taking anyone out and you're not getting into the shipyard. Get lost."

"Who are you, my mom?" One of the Team Aqua Grunts snapped. Suga gave the Grunt a rather offended look and Daichi had to stifle a laugh. Suga opened his mouth to respond when one of the Team Magma Grunts let out a frustrated scream.

"None of this matters!" he shouted. "Let's just take them both out and call it a day!"

"I have a proposition for you," Suga interjected with a step towards the group. "You beat us in a 2-vs-2 Pokémon battle, and we'll let you go about your business. We beat you, and you leave Slateport for good. No potions, no revives. Last team with Pokémon standing wins. Deal?"

"Fine," the head Team Magma Grunt agreed.

"You're going down!" the head Team Aqua Grunt crowed.

"Do they seriously think they can beat us?" Suga muttered to Daichi as they got into battle positions.

"Well, you know that I'm terrible at Pokémon battles," Daichi prefaced, "but I'm sure the owner of the Seashore House can take them out no problem."

"TODAY WOULD BE NICE," the Team Magma Grunt shouted. "Poochyena, go!"

The Team Aqua Grunt smacked the Team Magma Grunt on the arm, muttering about how he was going to pick Poochyena before throwing a PokéBall. The light faded to reveal a zubat nervously flitting from side to side. 

"Riolu, go!" Daichi called, tossing Riolu's PokéBall forward. Riolu emerged from the ball and landed on his feet, bouncing in anticipation.

Shimmer ran forward before Suga had the chance to call another Pokémon, stopping beside Riolu with a growl. Daichi and Suga shared a look before turning back to the two others, ready to go.

"Riolu, Quick Attack, followed by Force Palm on the Poochyena!" Daichi called as the Team Magma grunt called, "Poochyena, use Bite on the Riolu!"

"Shimmer, use Water Pulse on Zubat!"

"Zubat, use Sludge Bomb on the vaporeon!"

Chaos erupted in that moment. Riolu lunged, avoiding Poochyena's fangs and landing a blow. Poochyena turned to bite at Riolu, but was met with a palm to the face. Poochyena reeled back and staggered a bit, trying to regain his balance. Shimmer and the zubat unleashed their attacks at the same time, knocking both off balance. The zubat struggled to remain in the air before righting himself and letting out a screech. Shimmer responded in turn with another low growl.

"Riolu, use Force Palm on Poochyena again!"

"Shimmer, another Water Pulse!"

"Poochyena, use Take Down on the vaporeon!"

"Zubat, use Toxic on the vaporeon!"

Shimmer shot another water pulse at the zubat right as Zubat and Poochyena turned on Shimmer. The poochyena leapt for Shimmer, but was blocked by Riolu's Force Palm. Poochyena let out a whimper as it collapsed, unconscious. The purple sludge from Zubat hit Shimmer, forcing the Pokemon to reel backwards. Suga let out a pained cry as Shimmer trembled, the Poison effect clearly setting in. The Team Magma Grunt snarled and sent out Numel.

"Suga, call Shimmer back and send out another water type," Daichi whispered. "I have something that can take care of the Zubat."

Suga nodded and called Shimmer back, returning the wounded Pokémon to his PokéBall. With a determined look, Suga muttered, "Alright Mudkip, you're up." Mudkip squeaked with pride and leapt forward, ready to roll. Satisfied, Daichi called back Riolu and sent out Geodude.

"Geodude, use Smackdown on Zubat!" Daichi called while Suga shouted, "Mudkip, use Hydro Pump on Numel!"

The two Grunts barely had time to react as Geodude and Mudkip leapt into action. Mudkip released a mighty jet of water that slammed into Numel, knocking her unconscious immediately. Geodude launched a rock at Zubat, knocking it out of the air and onto the ground where it twitched once, then passed out. The two Grunts recalled their Pokémon and sent out another Zubat and another Poochyena. Daichi and Suga exchanged an amused look while the two Grunts tried to backtrack.

"You idiot, why would you pick Poochyena?" the Team Magma Grunt hissed.

"Because I wanted to use her! Why would you send out another Zubat while they have a Geodude that knows Smackdown!?"

"Because it's all I have left!" the Team Magma Grunt snapped.

"Today would be nice!" Suga called to the pair with a wave.

The two Grunts snarled at Suga before shouting in unison, "Zubat, use Poison Fang on Geodude!" "Poochyena, use Bite on Mudkip!"

"Mudkip, use Water Gun on Poochyena!"

"Geodude, use Smackdown!"

The poochyena jumped at Mudkip, biting down on her side. Mudkip squeaked in pain and blasted Poochyena with water. The poochyena released Mudkip with a howl and leapt backwards. At the same time, the zubat tried to bite down on Geodude, only to get knocked out of the air with a hard rock. The zubat lay on the ground, but wasn't knocked out yet.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw!"

"Mudkip, use Hydro Pump!"

"Poochyena, use Tackle!"

"Zubat, use Sludge Bomb!"

Poochyena was blasted backwards by another stream of water before recovering and running headfirst at Mudkip. The two collided, resulting in two very dazed Pokémon, who staggered around each other. Before Zubat had a chance to attack Geodude, Geodude had launched a rock at Zubat, hitting it squarely and knocking it out. The Team Magma Grunt swore loudly, recalled Zubat and stomped away from the battle area, calling for the Team Aqua Grunt to take care of the rest. The Team Aqua Grunt turned to give Poochyena a command, only to see that Daichi had replaced Geodude with Machop. Daichi and Suga had matching shit-eating grins on their faces and the Team Aqua Grunt took a step back.

"Machop, use Low Sweep."

"Mudkip, use Tackle."

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Machop swung his leg around, kicking Poochyena low and sending her backwards. At the same time, Mudkip ran forward and tackled the floundering Pokémon, sending her flying a bit. She landed on her feet, but wobbled briefly before passing out with a huff. There was silence as the Team Aqua Grunt searched his belt for another PokéBall, but after a moment, he hung his head and recalled Poochyena to her PokéBall. The Grunts as a collective shouted in anger while Daichi and Suga released breaths they didn't realize they were holding. 

"Well, looks like we won," Suga began.

"And a deal's a deal," Daichi continued as he recalled Machop to his ball.

The Grunts turned to say something to the pair when a new set of voices cut in, "What's going on here?" The group turned, half expecting the proper authorities to have arrived. Instead they found a stern looking man looking incredibly out of place in the pirate-like outfit of Team Aqua and a bored looking man with dyed blond hair in an oversized Team Magma hoodie.

"Oh shit, it's Akaashi," the Team Aqua Grunts hissed.

"Kenma too," the Team Magma Grunts muttered.

Daichi and Suga shrugged at each other in confusion. They had no idea what was going on.

"I repeat, what's going on?" the Team Aqua one—Akaashi, Daichi remembered—asked with a quiet intensity that sent a shiver up even Daichi's back.

"We were trying to steal a submarine, but then Magma showed up and we got into an argument," one of the Aqua Grunts explained. "Then these two showed up and kicked our butts."

Akaashi and Kenma turned to briefly assess Daichi and Suga before turning back to their respective Grunts.

"Why would we need a submarine?" Kenma pressed in a tone that suggested this situation was absolutely a waste of his time and energy.

"You never know," one of the Magma Grunts mumbled. "We thought Kuroo would have liked it."

"That was kind of our reasoning too," one of the Aqua Grunts admitted. "We thought Bokuto would like it. But also it makes sense for us to have a submarine, considering our plans."

Akaashi pinched the bridge of his nose and Daichi felt a wave of sympathy for the man.

"This is the kind of thing I'd expect from Lev," Kenma sighed. "Alright, let's get out of here. Before someone with more authority shows up."

The Team Magma Grunts turned tail and fled into the night. The Team Aqua Grunts stared after them before turning back to Akaashi. "Go. We'll talk when we get back to headquarters," Akaashi said, gesturing for them to leave. The Team Aqua Grunts ran off, disappearing into the darkness. Akaashi and Kenma shared a look before letting out twin sighs.

"It's rough for you too, huh?" Akaashi asked Kenma with an air of casualness that neither Daichi nor Suga expected.

"I don't think I've slept properly in about three months," Kenma groaned. "I feel like I'm herding Skitties, but honestly, I'd have more progress with the Skitties. How's Bokuto?"

"He's been in one of his moods lately," Akaashi replied. "I think he misses Kuroo. How's he been?"

"Exhausted. I think he misses Bokuto as well," Kenma admitted.

"Excuse me," Suga interrupted, drawing the attention of the duo back to him and Daichi. "Sorry, but what the hell was that? What's going on exactly?"

The duo exchanged a look before replying, "Akaashi Keiji, sorry if my subordinates caused you any unnecessary stress."

"Kozume Kenma. Likewise," Kenma added.

"Why have you guys been hanging around Slateport recently?" Daichi asked. "And why a submarine?"

"I imagine you'd like answers, but unfortunately that's a little counterproductive to our objective," Akaashi responded, though Daichi could have sworn he heard Akaashi add, "No matter how dumb of an objective it is."

Kenma nodded in agreement, "You two might want to stay out of things in the future. For safety reasons."

"Why's that?" Suga pressed.

Akaashi and Kenma shared a look before Akaashi replied, "We're the vice leaders of Team Aqua and Team Magma, respectively. And while we have some authority, our subordinates are starting to…. Act for themselves. I can't talk for Team Magma, but I feel that most of the Grunts no longer respect Bokuto's authority. We can't guarantee that you won't get hurt."

Akaashi gave Daichi and Suga one last nod of acknowledgement before vanishing into the night. Kenma opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head and made off after Akaashi. Daichi and Suga watched them go, standing still for a few minutes in total silence. Once they were gone, Daichi and Suga slowly turned to look at each other.

"That's more excitement than I wanted tonight," Suga admitted with a tired sigh.

"Yeah, I think my excitement quota might be filled for at least a year," Daichi agreed. "Thanks for stepping in when you did. I'm not sure if I could have taken them all on my own."

"Well, I wasn't about to let you get hurt," Suga muttered. "Not before we had a chance to do this."

That was the only warning Daichi got before Suga launched himself at Daichi. Daichi let out a shout of surprise, trying to catch Suga, but managing to knock the two of them backwards. Daichi landed on his back with Suga on top of him, but had little time to react as Suga placed his hands on Daichi's face and pulled him in for kiss. Daichi stiffened at the press of lips against his own. Suga was kissing him. Suga was kissing him. Daichi snapped back to reality before Suga could pull back, keeping one hand on Suga's waist while he placed the other on the back of Suga's neck. It was awkward and uncomfortable as far as first kisses went, and it was perfect in Daichi's book. They probably would have stayed like that until the sun came up if it hadn't been for Mudkip, who headbutted Daichi in the hip. The pair broke apart to look at the Pokémon who had something akin to an affronted look on her face. Suga laughed loud and clear, resting his forehead against Daichi's as he shook with laughter. Daichi grinned in response, wrapping his arms around Suga's back.

"Let's go home, yeah?" Daichi asked.

"Yeah, let's go home," Suga agreed with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the last chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who read, commented, kudosed, subscribed, bookmarked, the whole shebang. You guys are amazing, and the support means so much to me. There are other fics in the series, so I recommend you check those out. There will be more written in this universe, we have something big planned, so look forward to that. I'll be updating some of my non-Haikyuu stuff next, then I'll be moving on to the next section of the Superhero au and the next fic in my Like You A Latte series. Thanks again for everything, enjoy!

It took Daichi and Suga longer than expected to get home. The pair had stopped by the local Pokémon Center to get their respective Pokémon healed. The nurse had been kind enough to not ask any questions, though the pair knew they'd have to talk to someone about Team Aqua and Team Magma sooner rather than later. By the time they finally got home, Daichi was ready to call it a night. Suga, on the other hand, had other ideas. Once the door shut, Suga stepped into Daichi's personal space. He wrapped his arms around Daichi's neck and raised an eyebrow, asking for permission. Daichi closed the distance between the two and pressed his lips to Suga's. Suga let out a soft sigh, the warm air puffing against Daichi's skin. They parted after a minute to catch their breath. They didn't say anything, just rested with their foreheads pressed against each other.   
"Did you mean it?" Suga asked, pulling backwards a few inches.

"Suga, with all due respect," Daichi began, "that's a pretty dumb question to be asking right now."

"Right, sorry," Suga winced.

"If it makes you feel better though, I did mean it," Daichi continued. "And when the time comes that I want to get out of Slateport, I hope you'll come with me."

"Come with you?" Suga asked.

"We can come back to Slateport when we're done," Daichi reassured him. "But it would be nice to have some company."

"Koushi," Suga said. "I think we've gotten to the point that we can both be on first name basis."

Daichi brushed his thumb across Suga's cheekbone and gave him a soft smile, "Koushi it is then."

***

Daichi woke to sunlight streaming through the windows of Seashore House, the beams of light hitting his face at just the right angle. Daichi moved to turn away from the light, but a weight on his chest kept him pinned in place. Daichi cracked open one eye and glanced down. Shimmer was curled up on his chest, sleeping off the effects of the antidote the nurse had given him last night.

"It seems that Shimmer has a new favorite cushion," came Suga's voice from the kitchen.

Moving slowly as to not disturbed Shimmer, Daichi craned his neck towards Suga. Suga was still in his pajamas. He had a spatula in one hand and a pan in the other. It took Daichi's half awake mind to process that Suga was making him breakfast. "Whatimeizzit?" Daichi mumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Around 9:30," Suga told Daichi. "I was pretty surprised when I woke up and you were still passed out on the futon." Suga turned back to the stove and placed the pan down. He turned back to Daichi with a playful grin and teased, "I guess last night was too exciting for you. Isn't that right, Old Man?"

The events of the previous night came flooding back to Daichi. Their conversation, the confrontation with Team Magma and Team Aqua, the kiss. All the kisses that came after. Suga looked at Daichi expectantly and Daichi felt his face heat up. "Last time I checked, you were older than me by a good six months," Daichi grumbled instead, trying to figure out the best way to move the sleeping vaporeon off of his chest. "Also, don't you have work today?"

"I'm taking the day off," Suga said. "I gave Yui a call when I woke up, told her we had a late night last night due to some injured Pokémon and that I needed the day to myself. She was pretty understanding about the whole thing. So I figured we could start our day off together with breakfast and a talk."

"A talk?" Daichi repeated as panic began to rise in his chest.

"Nothing bad, I just have a question for you," Suga commented.

Daichi nodded once in response. Satisfied, Suga returned to making breakfast. In a moment of pure regret, Daichi lifted Shimmer off of his chest and placed the vaporeon on the floor so Daichi could sit up. Shimmer woke with an indignant squawk. Suga bent over the stove with a snort as Daichi tried to apologize to the disgruntled Pokémon, but Shimmer wasn't having it. With a growl, Shimmer bolted for Suga's room.

"I think I offended him," Daichi said as Suga sat next to him on the futon.

"You absolute monster," Suga deadpanned, handing a plate of food to Daichi. "You're lucky you're cute, otherwise I'd have to throw you out for offending my Pokémon."

Daichi thanked him with a laugh and the two ate in silence for a few minutes. Suga eventually set his plate down and looked at Daichi, "Last night you said that if I came with you on your backpacking trips, we could come back to Slateport once we were done."

"Well yeah, you have a house and a job here," Daichi said. "I'm not going to ask you to leave Slateport behind for me. That'd be scummy."

"So, you'd want to come back and live with me here?" Suga asked.

"If you'd have me, then yes," Daichi said. "Unless you think that's too forward of me. Then I could always find my own place in Slateport. I'll need to get a job here too, but that shouldn't be too hard to do."

"You're serious," Suga murmured in awe.

"Koushi, of course I am," Daichi frowned as he set his own plate down. "Why wouldn't I be?"

In lieu of a response, Suga grabbed Daichi's face and pulled him in for a kiss. Daichi jumped a little at the sudden movement into his personal space, but quickly relaxed into the kiss. The moment was interrupted, however, by the shrill ringing of Suga's PokéNav. Suga groaned and pulled back from Daichi, irritation obvious on his face. Daichi chuckled and kissed Suga once more before pushing him towards the PokéNav on the countertop. Suga stuck his tongue out and went to retrieve the PokéNav. He picked it up and sat back down on the futon with an annoyed, "Yes?"

"Koushi, you there?" came Yui's panicked voice from Suga's outdated PokéNav.

"Yui? What's wrong? Do you need me to come in today?" Suga asked with a glance towards Daichi. Daichi shrugged in response.

"I got word from the Ocean Museum that there are weird weather patterns forming along all water routes out of Slateport. While there's nothing dangerous about the waters now, the scientists at the museum have said that it's supposed to get worse in a few days. For now, all us captains are canceling all voyages out of Slateport until further notice."  
"Wait, what? What about the trip to Ever Grande City?" Suga pressed. "I thought that was coming up soon."

"I know, but if the ocean's not safe, I'm not risking my crew," Yui said. "You know I'd never do that Koushi."

"Yeah, I know," Suga agreed. "So, what now?"

"All boats are grounded indefinitely. You're on shore leave effectively immediately and until further notice. You and your backpacker can go take a trip around Hoenn."

"We were talking about that actually," Suga said, glancing back to Daichi. "Anyway, let me know when we can get back on the water."

"Will do," Yui said. "And, Koushi?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe," Yui said before the call disconnected.

Daichi opened his mouth to ask Suga about the call when his own PokéNav began to ring. Daichi leaned over to his bag and rummaged around inside until he found the PokéNav and answered it with a hesitant, "Hello?"

"Daichi, oh good," Daichi's mother exhaled on the other end. "We saw on the news that there had been weird things going on with Route 111 and now they're saying all water routes have weather warnings. We just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine Mom," Daichi said. "Things are normal-ish in Slateport. How are things in Lavaridge?"

"Things are fine here. I'm a little concerned though. Some weird people have been showing up recently."

"Weird how?" Daichi asked.

"Some of them are dressed like pirates, which I'd get if they were in Slateport or one of the other ocean-side cities, but this is Lavaridge, so it makes no sense. And then the others are dressed in these oversized sweaters, which cannot be comfortable considering how close we are to Mount Chimney. They've been here for a few days now, and they're causing a trouble," Daichi's mother explained.

"What kind of trouble?" Daichi pressed.

"Nothing groundbreaking," his mother said. "Just a couple of Pokémon battles in the streets. They were all broken up before anything could come from it. Anyway, just wanted to make sure that you're doing okay. Call us if anything happens."

"Will do Mom," Daichi said. "Talk to you soon." The call disconnected, leaving Seashore House in near silence. Daichi stowed the PokéNav in his pocket and turned to Suga, "Looks like our Team Aqua and Team Magma friends have made it to Lavaridge."

"What do you think they're doing?" Suga asked.

"I don't know," Daichi said. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."

"What do you want to do?"

"Want to go ruin more of their plans?" Daichi asked. 

"Give me a few minutes to pack," Suga replied.

Within half an hour, Suga had clothes and food packed into a backpack similar to Daichi's. With Pokémon stowed in their PokéBalls in pockets, Daichi and Suga stood on the porch of Seashore House. Suga locked the front door and patted the wall of the house with a whispered, "I'll be back soon." The duo turned away and stepped off the porch hand-in-hand.

"When we get back, I think we should adopt a Skitty," Suga said as they made their way through the northern gate of Slateport.

"We can talk to Asahi about it once we get back," Daichi said. "He'll want to know about us anyway."

Suga nodded in agreement as the pair reached the entrance to Route 110. They paused for a moment. They looked at each other, nervousness apparent in Suga's eyes. Daichi gave him a reassuring smile and took Suga's hand in his.

"Ready?" Daichi asked.

"Absolutely," Suga replied. "Let's go."


End file.
